Tag: Steve Weatherford

After a chaotic morning where the New York Jets signed Santonio Holmes to a five year deal and the discussion about Nnamdi Asomugha coming to town reached a fever pitch, things have quieted down…a little bit.

– The discussions about Asomugha have continued on, with ESPN’s John Clayton commenting it will take a few days for him to work a deal out with any team. However, keep in mind Clayton had said earlier in the off-season the Jets would be in salary cap hell and would have no chance to sign any free agents, so take his words with a grain of salt.

– A testament to Mike Tannenbaum’s creativity. Santonio Holmes contract will only count $2.45 million against the 2011 cap…wow.

– Manish Mehta of The Daily News has reported the Jets will ask LaDainian Tomlinson to rework his contract to free up more cap space (likely to pursue Asomugha).

– The Jets have resigned kicker Nick Folk to a 1 year deal. CBS Sports is also reporting that punter Steve Weatherford is unlikely to return.

– In a press conference today, Rex Ryan said Mark Sanchez will be the team captain this year and will literally wear a “C” on his jersey.

– Darrelle Revis was very diplomatic about Asomugha joining the team while still paying respect to Antonio Cromartie. Revis did call Asomugha “the best corner in football” even though I find it hard to believe Revis doesn’t he think he holds that title.

– This isn’t surprising but it sounds like Braylon Edwards days with the Jets are numbered. He is clearly frustrated by the lack of attention/effort the Jets have made thus far to keep him, which is understandable but they simply have higher priorities right now. Edwards will get a good contract somewhere and that team will get a tough receiver who improved vastly the past year.

– The speculation on Randy Moss coming to the Jets as a cheap alternative to Braylon Edwards has picked up. However, the latest word from Bob Glauber of Newsday is that his chances of joining the team remain “very small.” How the Jets handle the wide receiver position, will likely depend how the cornerback position shakes out for them.

– Kellen Clemens was signed by the Washington Redskins to a one year deal. We will miss his happy feet in the pocket and interceptions.

– Ben Hartsock signed a two year deal with the Carolina Panthers. We will miss his false starts and holding penalties.

There has been no shortage of talk about the appropriate fates in free agency for Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Antonio Cromartie, and Brad Smith…but what about the other unrestricted free agents the New York Jets have to make decisions on?

Shaun Ellis – Personally, I think it is a smart investment to bring Ellis back on a one or two year deal to help him mentor rookie Muhammad Wilkerson. He is also a leader in the locker room who clearly has plenty left in tank, as evidenced by his performance against New England in the playoffs last year. Unfortunately, I could see the Jets not matching his contract demands, especially after his request for a restructured deal last season didn’t happen.

TOJ Votes – Bring him back.

TOJ Predicts – Jets let him walk.

Brodney Pool – He came on strong at the end of last year and finally began to look like the playmaker the Jets signed him to be. Pool should command a good amount of interest in the open market, so it will be up to the Jets to determine how much of an upgrade he is over Eric Smith.

TOJ Votes – Bring him back.

TOJ Predicts – Jets bring him back.

Trevor Pryce – Rex Ryan compared Muhammad Wilkerson to a young Trevor Pryce and he would be a cheaper, although less productive, mentor to the rookie than Shaun Ellis. I could very easily see the Jets choosing to bring him back over Ellis in order to save money.

TOJ Votes – Let him walk.

TOJ Predicts – Jets bring him back.

Tony Richardson – Likely to retire and if he decides not to, the Jets aren’t going to bring him back considering they have John Conner ready to step into the starting role.

TOJ Votes – Retire T-Rich, you had a great career.

TOJ Predicts – T-Rich retires.

Steve Weatherford – Despite an inconsistent performance in the playoffs, Weatherford was still pretty good overall last year, especially at pinning teams deep. Considering the musical chairs they played at punter before Weatherford, I think the Jets will bring him back…besides, who else is bringing the shake weights to camp?

TOJ Votes – Bring him back.

TOJ Predicts – Jets bring him back.

Wayne Hunter – Originally it looked like he could compete with Vladimir Ducasse for the starting right tackle spot. I now think because of the lockout, the Jets will opt to bring Damien Woody back and have Ducasse spend a year learning behind him at the position, which likely means good-bye to Hunter.

TOJ Votes – Let him walk, spend the money on Woody instead.

TOJ Predicts – Jets let him walk.

Lance Laury – A special teamer, who was fairly quiet on special teams for the Jets last season. However, they are very thin at linebacker.

TOJ Votes – Bring him back.

TOJ Predicts – Jets let him walk to give more of a chance to players like Josh Mauga.

Eric Smith – A versatile safety, who is also very good at special teams. The Jets will ultimately have to choose between him and Brodney Pool and I think Pool projects better as a starter opposite Jim Leonhard.

TOJ Votes – Let him walk.

TOJ Predicts – Jets let him walk.

Drew Coleman – Struggles in coverage, but he is a playmaker at the nickel back position. The decision on Antonio Cromartie could go a long way to determining his fate. He isn’t helped by the fact that the coaching staff likely wants to give more reps to Kyle Wilson, who was a first round pick last year.

I realized today that Mike Westhoff would probably curse TOJ out for the lack of time we have spent on the Jets special teams in the previous few months. Beyond that, I saw that Jets punter Steve Weatherford got an endorsement deal with 2XU compression apparel. That is right, this team’s punter even has enough swag to get an endorsement deal (could also be his career 16 yards per carry or shake weight enthusiasm from Hard Knocks). Anyway, let’s get on to that too often neglected third of the game —

Right now, both the Jets punter and kicker from last year are free agents. The Jets didn’t extend a tender to Steve Weatherford and haven’t come up with a new deal for Nick Folk either. UFL special teams MVP Nick Novak was signed this off-season, along with punter TJ Conley who has been in camp with the Jets the past two years. As of now, I’d say it is a safe bet that the Jets will find a way to bring back both Weatherford and Folk, and have them compete with Conley and Novak in the summer.

Weatherford was very good last year, especially at pinning teams inside the 20. Despite a shaky post-season, the coaching staff seems comfortable with him. In 2010, he provided stability to very unstable position the past few years for the Jets. Nick Folk was up and down throughout the season and should be given a good run by Novak in the summer.

On their coverage units, the Jets didn’t extend a tender to linebacker Lance Laury who was a core special teams player in 2010 but was a bit of a disappointment. It is likely he won’t be back, with somebody like Josh Mauga taking over the bulk of his reps. Many of the Jets other key special teams players are free agents including Brad Smith, Eric Smith, James Ihedigbo, Drew Coleman, and Robert Turner, so many of their units could have a very different look in 2011.

The kick return job should be wide open if Brad Smith doesn’t return. Joe McKnight, Kyle Wilson, Antonio Cromartie (if he his back) will get the first crack at taking over. On punt return, rookie Jeremy Kerley will probably be mixed in with Jerricho Cotchery and maybe Wilson.

Regardless of who is manning the Jets coverage and return units, they should be productive again under the guidance of Westhoff, who remains arguably the best (and most entertaining) special teams coach in the NFL.

Excuse me for not being more excited about previewing the Jets/Bills backup bowl this Sunday, but my mind is already on Wild Card Weekend, where the Jets will either be traveling to Kansas City or Indianapolis. Despite the two teams being very different, the Jets road to the Super Bowl is going to need the following formula regardless of who they play.

1) The Good Mark Sanchez – We have seen the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde act from Sanchez at times over the past two years. The encouraging thing is that he played very well in last year’s playoffs and has looked great the previous two weeks. This is a quarterback driven league and the Jets are no different than any other team in that, they need their guy playing at a high level if they want make any noise in January. Sanchez has more weapons at his disposal in this year’s playoffs than he did last year, so hopefully he can create big plays and points to support his struggling defense.

2) Shonn Greene – The benefit of still using LaDainian Tomlinson too much down the stretch is that Shonn Greene is especially fresh for the playoffs. He is the type of back built for January, with his hard charging north/south running. Tomlinson is fine as a change of pace back and a 3rd down receiving option but the Jets would be foolish to not have Greene in the 18-20 carry range when the playoffs start.

3) Defensive Answers – The Jets are lacking the personnel to have a great defense but let’s be honest they aren’t completely devoid of talent and they are supposed to have one of the top defensive minds in the league coaching them. Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine are going to have to get creative to manufacture a pass rush and to avoid leaving players like Drew Coleman and Dwight Lowery on an island too frequently. Beyond that, players like Calvin Pace and Jason Taylor simply have to play better.

4) Special Teams Boost – Another way to cover for the Jets defensive shortcomings is to win the special teams battle. Kick returner Brad Smith and punter Steve Weatherford have both had Pro-Bowl quality years and the Jets need them both to keep it up. Nick Folk needs to stay reliable, as he has been the previous few weeks and it wouldn’t hurt if they could rip off a big punt return at some point.

5) Santonio – I love what Braylon Edwards has done for the Jets this year, as he has surprisingly been their most reliable and consistent receiver. Yet, Santonio Holmes is the only game-changing player on the Jets offense. He is the guy who can take a 3 yard slant route and turn it into a 70 yard touchdown or come up with a 7 catch, 165 yard game where an opposing defense just can’t stop him. The Jets need ‘Tone Time to last all the way through January if they want a shot of playing in February.

Quarterback (A) – If you have seen every snap Mark Sanchez has taken in the NFL, you know how encouraging yesterday’s performance was. He looked like the quarterback who nearly took them to the Super Bowl last year and if he can continue his confident, poised play, the Jets will be competitive against any team they face in January.

Running Back (B+) – Another player who looks ready for the playoffs is Shonn Greene, who needs to be given the reigns as the Jets lead back immediately. It is inexcusable how little action he received in the fourth quarter. LaDainian Tomlinson still has value to the offense, particularly as a pass catcher but Greene should be getting the bulk of carries from now on.

Wide Receivers (B+) – Another very good game from Braylon Edwards, who continues to have a great season. Santonio Holmes was productive but lost a fumble. Jerricho Cotchery is slowly being phased out of the offense. Brad Smith looked good in the Wildcat and threw a nice ball down the sideline.

Tight Ends (B+) – Good to see Dustin Keller back involved in the offense but he has to make that catch in the end-zone.

Defensive Line (D) – The lack of pass rush was more acceptable when they were doing a better job stopping the run. Shaun Ellis was banged up and will likely rest next week for the playoffs.

Linebackers (D) – Another missing in action performance from both Jason Taylor and Calvin Pace, who has been a major disappointment this season. Bart Scott didn’t too much either, which has happened all too often since he joined the team. Bryan Thomas had his team leading 6th sack.

Secondary (D) – This would be a F if it wasn’t for Darrelle Revis and Dwight Lowery’s pick six. However, the blueprint to beating the Jets remains to throw away from Revis and to pick on players like Lowery, Drew Coleman, and even Antonio Cromartie.

Special Teams (C) – Nick Folk seems to be back on track and Steve Weatherford has been terrific all year. I hated the fake punt call, it was terrible timing and worse execution.

Coaching (C) – Rex Ryan seems to have a problem finding a good “Plan B” after the offense figures out what the Jets defense is doing. Brian Schottenheimer called a strong game for the second week in a row but must use Shonn Greene more.

A few reminders on this Thursday for the Jets as they prepare for a trip to the Windy City…

Brian Schottenheimer…Remember that whole, “keep the defense off balance, instead of calling plays that always follow the same tendency thing” you did last week in Pittsburgh? Let’s keep that going this week. It isn’t time to have Mark Sanchez throw 44 passes and turn to the Wildcat on 4th and 2, again. Keep Chicago guessing with the well timed play action and a balanced offensive attack.

Steve Weatherford…Kick the ball away from Devin Hester. One more time, kick the ball away from Devin Hester. Let’s make sure New York’s other team is the only one with a punter stupid enough to lose a game for his team in December.

Mark Sanchez…Protect the football and keep playing with the confidence you showed last week. Remember you have won more playoff games in one season than Jay Cutler has played in during his five year career.

Jason Taylor…I loved the safety last week, which was an absolute big-time clutch play. However, we brought you here to sack the quarterback. How about improving that season total (4) to a respectable number heading into week 17?

Darrelle Revis…Remember Jay Cutler was stubborn enough to keep throwing at DeAngelo Hall, despite being intercepted four times by him and Hall can’t hold your jockstrap on the field. Get those hands ready this week.

Braylon Edwards…Nobody says you can’t have back to back 100 yard games. Keep making those tough catches over the middle.

1. There is no way that Rex Ryan didn’t get the message across to Brian Schottenheimer to start running the football more. Maybe it is just wishful thinking but LaDainian Tomlinson will get 20+ carries and Shonn Greene will get 14+ carries. If this prediction is wrong than be mad at Schotty for his ignorance, not me.

2. Darrelle Revis is going to man up Calvin Johnson at least 80% of the time this week. Megatron is going to make a few plays but Revis will keep him under 100 yards and out of the end-zone. The first signs of the Island resurfacing will be in place.

3. Mark Sanchez is going to complete 60 percent of his passes. I predict this because I don’t think the Jets will throw the ball frequently and when they do, I think there will be a good amount of high percentage throws.

4. Jerricho Cotchery isn’t going to drop a pass this week. This guy has been too consistent for too long to let one game throw him into a funk that carries across multiple games.

5. I am feeling a big week for the Jets special teams after their weak performance last week. Nick Folk won’t be shanking any kicks. Steve Weatherford will be punting and not running and Brad Smith will break off at least one big return.

6. The Lions tight ends, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler are going to have big days. The Jets did a poor job against Todd Heap, Anthony Hernandez, Anthony Fasano, and David Nelson earlier in the year and I am sure the Lions noticed that and will be looking to their tight ends often.

7. The Jets are going to be more aggressive on defense than they have been in previous weeks. This will lead to a few more sacks and maybe a turnover or two but will also allow Lions to create a few big plays of their own.

8. Less of a prediction and more of a general comment – This is the kind of the game where you want to jump out to a quick 10-0 lead and take the crowd out of it. If you let the Lions get off to a fast start they are going to build confidence and that place will be rocking.

10. I don’t think we will be seeing much of the Tiger formation this week.

11. Brandon Moore will do a great job on Ndamukong Suh, continuing his All-Pro caliber campaign.

12. The Lions are going to make their share of plays and I don’t think Mark Sanchez is playing well enough right now for this to be a blowout. Detroit will be in this game into the fourth quarter but the Jets will ultimately prevail in a tight one 27-21.

Week 9 Picks (Lines From BetUS)

Buffalo (+3) vs. Chicago

San Diego (-3) vs. Houston

New Orleans (-7.5) vs. Carolina

Minnesota (-8) vs. Arizona

Tamp Bay (+8) vs. Atlanta

Miami (+5) vs. Baltimore

Cleveland(+5.5) vs. New England

Giants (-7) vs. Seattle

Oakland (-2) vs. Kansas City

Philadelphia (-2.5) vs. Peyton Manning

Green Bay (-7.5) vs. Dallas

Pittsburgh (-6) vs. Cincinnati

Check out (http://bit.ly/SundaySweep) for information on the NFLRedZone Sunday Sweep Challenge being run by the NFL Network. Register as a New York Jets fan and compete for plenty of prizes.

Quarterback (C-) An ugly statistical day for Mark Sanchez (16/38, 256 yards, 0 TDs, 2 INTs. He wasn’t helped by dropped passes all over the field, particularly by Jerricho Cotchery and Santonio Holmes. However, Sanchez still appeared erratic and out of rhythm all day. He needs to get himself back on track quickly if the Jets are going to keep pace with the Patriots in the AFC East.

Running Backs (C) A disappointing effort from the Jets rushing attack. LaDainian Tomlinson struggled to get going (16 carries, 54 yards), while Shonn Greene was never given the chance to get going (6 carries, 22 yards). The Jets must do a better job of balancing the carries between their top two backs. Greene also needs to catch the ball when it is thrown to him.

Wide Receivers (F) Jerricho Cotchery, what is happening to you? You have to wonder if he is feeling extra pressure because of the addition of Holmes and is pressing too much but I have never seen him struggle like that. Speaking of Holmes, he needs to catch the ball when it hits him in the hands too and become more consistent. Terrible job by both Brian Schottenhiemer and Mark Sanchez, not involving BraylonEdwards more in the offense. Brad Smith had a rare negative play with a fumble.

Tight Ends (C) Dustin Keller has cooled off after his strong start to the season. You can’t let defenders just rip the ball out of your hands.

Offensive Line (C) They did a pretty good job protecting Mark Sanchez overall but didn’t get their usual push in the running game. I’d expect a much bigger commitment to the Ground and Pound in the upcoming weeks.

Defensive Line (A) The Packers did nothing running the ball and Mike DeVito was very active in particular with 5 tackles. The Jets aren’t getting much of anything out of Trevor Pryce or Vernon Gholston right now.

Linebackers (A) Great game for David Harris with 9 tackles and a sack. Bart Scott played one of his better games with 7 tackles and a tackle for loss. Jason Taylor and Bryan Thomas have been awfully quiet lately.

Secondary (A) Holding Aaron Rodgers to 15/34 for 170 yards is pretty damn impressive. Darrelle Revis appears to moving around much better than prior to the bye week. Dwight Lowery had a nice pass breakup and a sack. Kyle Wilson is going to start being inactive soon.

Coaching (F) Bad use of challenges and time outs, along with a weak and predictable offensive game plan. Beyond that, Steve Weatherford should never have the jurisdiction to run that fake punt on his own.

5. Corners Stepping Up – Darrelle Revis has been a nonfactor the first five weeks of the 2010 season. Fortunately, Antonio Cromartie has looked the part of a legit number one corner for most of this year. Most importantly, he kept Randy Moss in check in the second half against New England in week two and against the Vikings in week five. Cromartie isn’t quite an island, but he is playing at a Pro-Bowl level. Beyond him, Drew Coleman has responded well to extra playing time and jumped the disappointing Kyle Wilson on the depth chart. Dwight Lowery and Marquice Cole have also handled their defensive reps well and are starting to make us all believers that the Jets could survive an extended period of time without Revis while he rests his hamstring.

4. Special Teams Excellence – There were a good amount of questions about the Jets special teams heading into the 2010 season. Would releasing Jay Feely to sign the inconsistent Nick Folk come back to haunt the Jets? Could Steve Weatherford hold the punting job? How much would the Jets miss Wallace Wright? Could Tanner Purdum handle the long snapper job? Who would handle the return duties? Amazingly, all these potential problems have turned into strengths as the Jets are off to an excellent start on special teams. Nick Folk is 12/14 on field goals and was just named AFC special teams player of the week. Weatherford is consistently pinning teams deep. Purdum has been fine. Brad Smith has excelled at kick return and Jim Leonhard has been better on punt returns in year two than he was in year one. Wright hasn’t been missed on coverage units thanks to the play of guys like Eric Smith, Lance Laury, and Marquice Cole.

3. LT Glide – The Jets offense has been bolstered by LaDainian Tomlinson reaching back into the past and playing at his vintage Hall of Fame level. After two subpar seasons in 2008 and 2009, Tomlinson is currently leading the Jets with 435 rushing yards on an astounding 5.7 yards per carry. Beyond that, he already has 17 receptions and 3 touchdowns. Thomas who? After five weeks, the Jets have the NFL’s number one ranked rushing attack.

2. The Sanchize – Eight touchdowns but way more importantly ZERO turnovers. Mark Sanchez has learned how to protect football and is aggressively attacking down the field. The confidence he is playing with has opened up the running game and made the Jets far from one-dimensional on offense. The talk of the Jets not being to win a Super Bowl has quieted down awfully quick, with Sanchez posting 91.7 quarterback rating through five weeks.

1. The Turnover Margin – The Jets have one turnover in five games and have forced 12 turnovers…simply put that is winning football.

1. Darrelle Revis admitted after the game what everybody could plainly see, he still isn’t 100 percent back from his hamstring injury and it now sounds like he might not play against the Broncos. It was foolish for Revis to attempt a comeback, unless he was truly 100 percent. You get the feeling this is going to be a nagging injury all year and we won’t be seeing any of the 2009 version of Revis this year.

2. The stats section is now updated.

Grading Out Jets/Vikings

Quarterback (B-) The stats (21/44, 191 yards) don’t show a very productive game for Mark Sanchez. However, there were at least 4 dropped passes by his receivers and he was dealing with poor weather conditions. Most importantly, Sanchez has now gone five full games without a single turnover.

Running Back (A) Another strong night for LaDainian Tomlinson with 94 yards on 20 carries, along with 5 receptions. I am a little concerned with him getting worn down, 25 touches is a bit too much. Shonn Greene only had 10 carries, which isn’t enough. He got rolling in the second half and finally popped through for a touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

Wide Receiver (C) Too many drops from this unit, particularly Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes. Edwards did have another productive night with 70 yards on 5 receptions, but it could have much more. Jerricho Cotchery had a good night with 5 catches for 46 yards.

Tight End (C) Dustin Keller was due for a quiet night (2 receptions, 14 yards).

Offensive Line (A) They did a terrific job run blocking against a physical Minnesota front seven. The pass protection was very good for most of the night. They are getting better with the penalties and starting to more closely resemble the unit they were in 2009.

Defensive Line (A-) They did a solid job against Adrian Peterson, holding him to under 100 yards. Sione Pouha and Mike DeVito both had 5 tackles and were active all night. Shaun Ellis added a half sack and didn’t appear limited by his leg injury last week.

Linebackers (A) Very active night for David Harris with 9 tackles, including a few big shots on Adrian Peterson. Calvin Pace made his presence felt with 1.5 sacks. Jason Taylor had another sack. A quiet night for Bryan Thomas. Bart Scott had a fumble recovery.

Secondary (B) There still seems to be miscommunication at times and Darrelle Revis is far from being his old self, however Antonio Cromartie played a great game despite allowing the one touchdown to Randy Moss, Drew Coleman is playing the best football of his life, and even Dwight Lowery made a huge play in a big spot.

Special Teams (A+) Nick Folk is playing like the All-Pro he used to be, by going 5/5 including a 53 yarder. Steve Weatherford also continued his strong 2010 campaign, continually pinning the Vikings deep and having great hang time on his kicks. Brad Smith ripped off a huge kick return that set up a field goal.

Coaching (C) I am downgrading them all the way to a C for the horrific time management in the final few minutes. The Jets gave the Vikings an extra minute to drive down for the go ahead field goal. There was no reason to throw ball on that second down before the two minute warning. Yes, Sanchez did a bad job not running the play clock all the way down but a pass never should have been called.